A recent trend in personal computing has been toward the multimedia computer, which provides high quality audio as well as video output. Such systems have typically included a pair of add-on speakers which are placed near the monitor and plugged into a sound board in the computer. In some cases, a microphone is also placed near the monitor to provide an input to the sound board. However, in such systems, the mobility of the speakers and the microphone relative to one another tends to frustrate attempts at echo cancellation, resulting in undesirable feedback.
As noted, upgrading an existing computing system to multimedia functionality typically requires a pair of add-on speakers and a plug-in sound board. However, use of add-on speakers consumes valuable desktop space and requires separate re-orientation of the monitor and speakers as the user changes position. Typically, over-the-counter multimedia computer systems have speakers that are built into the computer housing or built into the monitor or, in systems such as those currently marketed by IBM, built into the pedestal of the monitor. However, the audio components of these over-the-counter systems are not readily upgraded or replaced without replacing expensive associated equipment, such as a monitor.